Effects Of Age-related Vascular Diseases Can Be Reduced By Inactivating TNFa

Share

A new study investigating the potential beneficial effects of TNFa inhibition in vascular aging, "Vasculoprotective effects of anti-TNFa treatment in aging," appears in the January issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

Advertisement

This study shows hope for significantly reducing vascular aging by inactivating TNFa, which has been linked to blood vessel dysfunction and cell death.

Advertisement

Age-related vascular diseases, including high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke, occur naturally, even in otherwise healthy individuals. Advanced age is also associated with increased levels of TNFa, a protein that can attack and destroy tumor cells but can also exacerbate chronic inflammatory diseases.

Csiszar and collegues treated aged rats with etanercept to test the hypothesis that anti-TNFa treatment exerts vasculoprotective effects in aging. Etanercept (Enbrel) is an FDA-approved drug that binds and inactivates circulating TNFa. Recent studies have demonstrated that anti-TNFa therapies, including etanercept, may improve inflammation-related vascular disease, including heart failure.

Csiszar and colleagues made four notable findings in their study. First, they confirmed that in advanced aging, increased TNFa levels were associated with significant impairment of vessel relaxation, which is required for proper regulation of blood pressure.

Third, not only was TNFa released into the blood, where it can have systemic effects, but it is also expressed within blood vessel walls, where it can exert specific local effects.

Lastly, administration of TNFa to young arteries reproduced the features of vascular aging, such as blood vessel dysfunction and cell death, further confirming the role of TNFa in the aging of the cardiovascular system.

The knowledge that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. underscores the significance of these findings. This treatment could one day lead us closer to better heart health as we age.

Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished.Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading.

Disclaimer - All information and content on this site are for information and educational purposes only. The information should not be used for either diagnosis or treatment or both for any health related problem or disease. Always seek the advice of a qualified physician for medical diagnosis and treatment.Full Disclaimer